The New York Times has mapped Hurricane Irma’s destruction in the Caribbean building by building, a stark visual showing how hard the Leeward Islands were hit by the Category 5 storm.
Tens of thousands of people are struggling to meet basic needs after their islands were ravaged this month by Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the eastern Caribbean, the newspaper wrote this weekend.
The storm destroyed thousands of buildings, displacing many from their homes and knocking out power and potable water systems.
Food and water are scarce, hospitals and health clinics are struggling and schools are closed.
New assessments from the United Nations and Copernicus, a European Union program, show the damage to buildings and infrastructure on three of the hardest-hit islands: St. Martin, Anguilla and Barbuda.
The Moorings, a charter company with locations in the British Virgin Islands, has posted updates on its website for customers concerned about the local residents on affected islands.
The Bitter End Yacht Club, heavily damaged in the storm, is also focusing on relief for local residents of Virgin Gorda. That fundraising effort can be located here.
BVIrelief.com has aggregated several fundraising sites, and John Glynn of the Bitter End pointed to a few that he knew to be reputable, such as Richard Branson’s fundraising site and the Virgin Gorda Relief Supply Fund.
